He writes as the worm speaks

As oleaginous newspeak goes, the serially vituperative “HHB” offers up a dollop that is redolent of Orwell himself, although somewhat constrained by intellectual parameters.

It would now seem, in a world of Trumpian exclamation marks, far-right fairytales, engineered realism and cynical semantics, that wormtongue-speak is making a serious attempt to habilitate itself within the pages of this newspaper.

“HHB” describes himself and the openly anti-democratic Nigel Pike (who else) as “gentlemen”. No surprises there, then. However, let us visit reality and return this bowdlerised nonsense from whence it came. I would suggest that interested readers back-track through some of the ordure that “HHB” and his fellow travellers have sicked up here on many an occasion, alongside the bile offered by other hardcore extremists who wash up here from time to time. But, I agree that these people should be able to air their outre views alongside the compos mentis. That actually IS democracy, as often abused by those antithetical to the concept.

However, and noting how zealots everywhere eventually run out of original (if that be the word) poison to foist on the rest of us, get this piece of faux supine waffle from the worthy HHB. “So let’s continue our exchange of views without any unkind and insinuating propositions, be they academic or not,” he writes. “Just plain straightforward, politeness and respect – the two latter virtues being pillars of our culture and civilisation.” Good grief, you couldn’t invent it. Beware of radicals bearing tainted olive branches.